JUSTICE I Daughter of murdered woman says old cases may hold clues vital to current investigations
James Vassallo
Prince Rupert Daily News
Saturday, September 16, 2006
PRINCE RUPERT I Many years before it was called the Highway of Tears, before there were symposiums, before there was media attention and concerned politicians, there was a six-month-old-baby without a mother.
The only thing the baby, now 29-year-old Vicki Hill, grew up knowing was that her mother, Mary Jane, was murdered on Highway 16.
"The police never found anything that I know," said Hill, who grew up in Gitsegukla but who now lives in Prince Rupert. "I've been trying to find out myself, it's been too long not knowing."
In 2004, with the help of Marlene Swift at the RCMP-based North Coast Victim Support Service, Hill was able to obtain the coroner's report about the incident. She also found a 1978 newspaper article that detailed what little the police knew, and all Hill knows today.
"The body of 31-year-old Mary Jane Hill of Kincolith was found on Highway 16, 20 miles east of Prince Rupert at around 5 p.m. on Sunday," the clipping reads.
"At this time police suspect foul play but the incident is still under investigation," the story read. "RCMP ask anyone who saw or had contact with Hill on the afternoon of March 26 to contact them. Any motorists travelling on Highway 16 in between the hours of noon and 6 p.m. Sunday between Tyee and Prince Rupert who may have noticed any unusual or parked vehicles are also asked to contact the RCMP."
Hill grew up with her father's side of the family, who never talked about her mother's death. It wasn't until several years ago when she attended a wedding in Kincolith that she even had one of the questions that had troubled her most of her life answered -- what her mother looked like.
"I was given a small black and white photograph of her by my mom's sister," she said.
"Everyone says I look like her."
Her mother's unsolved killing is an example of a number of incidents that happened before the public attention on the Highway of Tears.
Hill believes these need to be investigated because they could provide a link with the crimes of the last 15 years, where a killer may have made a mistake.
"I think they should [look at these old cases] they never had DNA test labs in those years. I think they should bring the cases to see if there's DNA, or semen or blood type or whatever," she said. "This all probably started back in the 1970s. You never know if it's the same guy still out there, if he did time and came back, but police should do something instead of just leaving [these crimes] and saying forget it.
"They've got to think it's not [the victims] that are suffering, it's the children and the families that are suffering."
Hill has what she first wanted -- she knows something about what happened to her mother and she has a picture of the woman everyone says she looks like. All she needs now is justice for the mother she never knew.
"I find it hard [not knowing my mother], but as a mother of two myself I'd rather have the best for my children," she said. "Finding who did this makes a difference in life for this generation."
Area residents planned to hold a protest rally on the highway today to remind the public about the missing women.
© The Vancouver Sun 2006
Sunday, September 17
Friday, September 15
Fictional Pickton film pulled
ROBERT MATAS
From Friday's Globe and Mail
Sept 15, 2006
VANCOUVER — The director of a graphic fictional horror film has decided to hold back its distribution until after the murder trial of Port Coquitlam pig farmer Robert Pickton.
"It was supposed to be released in Australia next month, but I pulled the film," director Ulli Lommel said yesterday in an interview. "It will be on hold until [Mr.] Pickton is judged and then we'll see."
Mr. Lommel also said he has abandoned plans to have the film distributed in Canada.
"It cost me a lot of money, but I decided that it was the right thing, out of respect for the Canadian court and the victims.
"I like Canada very much; I like Canadians. They are not as brainwashed as most of us, and I've always been treated really nice when I visited Canada," the German-born director said.
The decision to hold back distribution came after media reports of plans to distribute the film in Australia, beginning Oct. 18, less than two months before a jury will be selected for the Pickton trial.
The 85-minute fictional thriller was billed as "a stomach-turning look" at the killing of as many as 125 Vancouver-based prostitutes and drug addicts over a 20-year period. A fictional figure called Pickton drugs women and feeds them into a wood chipper, mixing the victims' flesh with pork products that are sold to the public, according to the film's promotional material.
The film outraged family members and friends of the victims, who resented the commercial exploitation of their misery. However, Mr. Pickton's lawyer, Peter Ritchie, was not overly concerned about the impact of the fictional portrayal of events on the trial. He said he anticipated those who may be on the jury would stay away from the film.
Mr. Pickton is charged with the murder of 26 women who were addicted to drugs and worked as prostitutes, mostly in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
Mr. Justice James Williams of the B.C. Supreme Court split the charges last month into a group of six and a group of 20. Prosecutor Michael Petrie has told the court that a trial on the first six charges will begin on Jan. 8. Jury selection is to begin on Dec. 11.
An unusually restrictive court order prohibits publication of evidence in the case before the material is presented to the jury. The publication ban, which is intended to ensure Mr. Pickton has a fair trial, also prohibits the media from publishing information that would identify websites or other sources from which prohibited material could be accessed.
Mr. Lommel, a well-known figure in the world of horror films, has been an actor in 57 movies, directed 39, and written 36, the movie-database website IMDb.com states.
He is the son of a German comic performer. His career in show business began as a child, the website states.
After appearing in several features, Mr. Lommel met German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder and joined his acting entourage. He then went on to make his own movies. He has been in films shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
Mr. Lommel's filmography also shows he directed Blank Generation and Cocaine Cowboys, two movies that include cameo appearances by icon Andy Warhol. He is currently a partner in the Shadow Factory, an independent studio whose films are released by Sony Pictures and Lions Gate Entertainment.
"His output has ranged from brilliantly accomplished drama with traces of exploitation elements, to out-and-out B-movies with a few distinctive artistic flourishes," the IMDb website states.
© Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
From Friday's Globe and Mail
Sept 15, 2006
VANCOUVER — The director of a graphic fictional horror film has decided to hold back its distribution until after the murder trial of Port Coquitlam pig farmer Robert Pickton.
"It was supposed to be released in Australia next month, but I pulled the film," director Ulli Lommel said yesterday in an interview. "It will be on hold until [Mr.] Pickton is judged and then we'll see."
Mr. Lommel also said he has abandoned plans to have the film distributed in Canada.
"It cost me a lot of money, but I decided that it was the right thing, out of respect for the Canadian court and the victims.
"I like Canada very much; I like Canadians. They are not as brainwashed as most of us, and I've always been treated really nice when I visited Canada," the German-born director said.
The decision to hold back distribution came after media reports of plans to distribute the film in Australia, beginning Oct. 18, less than two months before a jury will be selected for the Pickton trial.
The 85-minute fictional thriller was billed as "a stomach-turning look" at the killing of as many as 125 Vancouver-based prostitutes and drug addicts over a 20-year period. A fictional figure called Pickton drugs women and feeds them into a wood chipper, mixing the victims' flesh with pork products that are sold to the public, according to the film's promotional material.
The film outraged family members and friends of the victims, who resented the commercial exploitation of their misery. However, Mr. Pickton's lawyer, Peter Ritchie, was not overly concerned about the impact of the fictional portrayal of events on the trial. He said he anticipated those who may be on the jury would stay away from the film.
Mr. Pickton is charged with the murder of 26 women who were addicted to drugs and worked as prostitutes, mostly in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.
Mr. Justice James Williams of the B.C. Supreme Court split the charges last month into a group of six and a group of 20. Prosecutor Michael Petrie has told the court that a trial on the first six charges will begin on Jan. 8. Jury selection is to begin on Dec. 11.
An unusually restrictive court order prohibits publication of evidence in the case before the material is presented to the jury. The publication ban, which is intended to ensure Mr. Pickton has a fair trial, also prohibits the media from publishing information that would identify websites or other sources from which prohibited material could be accessed.
Mr. Lommel, a well-known figure in the world of horror films, has been an actor in 57 movies, directed 39, and written 36, the movie-database website IMDb.com states.
He is the son of a German comic performer. His career in show business began as a child, the website states.
After appearing in several features, Mr. Lommel met German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder and joined his acting entourage. He then went on to make his own movies. He has been in films shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.
Mr. Lommel's filmography also shows he directed Blank Generation and Cocaine Cowboys, two movies that include cameo appearances by icon Andy Warhol. He is currently a partner in the Shadow Factory, an independent studio whose films are released by Sony Pictures and Lions Gate Entertainment.
"His output has ranged from brilliantly accomplished drama with traces of exploitation elements, to out-and-out B-movies with a few distinctive artistic flourishes," the IMDb website states.
© Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, September 11
Highway of Tears private eye probing 9 cases has serious tips on 1 death
Dirk Meissner
Canadian Press
Monday, September 11, 2006
VICTORIA (CP) - A private detective probing nine unsolved cases of missing and murdered women along the so-called Highway of Tears in northern B.C. says he's received what he calls serious information about one case.
Ray Michalko, a former Manitoba and North Vancouver RCMP officer who started pursuing the Highway of Tears cases on his own for free, says he'll be in the Prince George area next month checking the information.
Michalko said the tip involves three people and their possible connection to the death of one woman. He wouldn't say which one of the nine women the tip involved.
"These three, I think, probably, have a criminal background," he said. "They may be there or they may be in jail. They're somewhere up north, I think."
Michalko said he wants to talk to people who know the trio and after that will decide if he should contact the police or approach the three people on his own.
"First, I want to talk to the people that know them and may have some information," he said. "Depending on what information I get I may talk to them directly or I may go to the police. I don't know at this stage."
Nine women - aged between 14 and 27 - have disappeared or were murdered along Highway 16 between 1989 and last February.
All but one were aboriginal; most were hitchhiking at the time. The highway stretches more than 750 kilometres from Prince George to Prince Rupert.
Michalko, 58, said he's been in the Prince George area once this year and his efforts have resulted in calls from people who believe they have information about the cases.
Since his last visit, a Vancouver women's group volunteered anonymously to pay Michalko's expenses.
"I have the names of five people, I'd rather call them people of interest, rather than suspects because I think suspects is a little harsh," he said
"Two of them are names that I've been given as a result of phone calls I've received. They're sort of a long shot as far as their involvement is concerned," said Michalko. "There's three others that I think are more serious, according to what I've been told."
He said he has a list of up to seven people who may have information about the three people.
Among the missing or dead women along the highway since 1989 are Aielah Saric-Auger, 14, Tamara Chipman, 22, Lana Derrick, 19, Ramona Wilson, 15, Delphine Nikal, 15, Roxanna Thiara, 15, Aleisha Germaine, 15, Alberta Williams, 27, and Nicole Hoar, 25. Only Hoar, who has been missing for four years, is non-native.
Aboriginal groups and others in the north believe the number of missing people could be as high as 30.
An RCMP spokesman said they are aware of Michalko and expect a meeting in the future.
"We're going to sit down and talk to Ray just to make sure that the lines of communication are open," said RCMP Sgt. John Ward, who recalls serving with Michalko at the North Vancouver RCMP detachment.
"I don't see that this is going to be a problem," Ward said.
The Mounties have met privately with the families of the missing and murdered women since an emotional gathering in Prince George last March where aboriginals called for help solving the cases and preventing further tragedies.
"We have a review team that's collecting all the files that are connected to the so-called Highway of Tears," Ward said. "It will assist us to see if we've missed anything."
A member of a Prince George area aboriginal council said the Mounties appear to have increased their efforts to solve the Highway of Tears deaths since the symposium last March.
But much of that is likely a result of public pressure, said Coun. Rena Zatorski of the Lheidli T'enneh Nation.
"Damn rights it is," she said. "Of course it is. They were embarrassed. They still are embarrassed and they should be embarrassed."
The Highway of Tears is a small piece of a bigger problem that aboriginals face across Canada, she said. Aboriginal women's groups estimate there's more than 500 missing and murdered aboriginal people throughout Canada.
"Maybe it's going to take a private investigator to make more headway than the RCMP," Zatorski said.
© The Canadian Press 2006
Canadian Press
Monday, September 11, 2006
VICTORIA (CP) - A private detective probing nine unsolved cases of missing and murdered women along the so-called Highway of Tears in northern B.C. says he's received what he calls serious information about one case.
Ray Michalko, a former Manitoba and North Vancouver RCMP officer who started pursuing the Highway of Tears cases on his own for free, says he'll be in the Prince George area next month checking the information.
Michalko said the tip involves three people and their possible connection to the death of one woman. He wouldn't say which one of the nine women the tip involved.
"These three, I think, probably, have a criminal background," he said. "They may be there or they may be in jail. They're somewhere up north, I think."
Michalko said he wants to talk to people who know the trio and after that will decide if he should contact the police or approach the three people on his own.
"First, I want to talk to the people that know them and may have some information," he said. "Depending on what information I get I may talk to them directly or I may go to the police. I don't know at this stage."
Nine women - aged between 14 and 27 - have disappeared or were murdered along Highway 16 between 1989 and last February.
All but one were aboriginal; most were hitchhiking at the time. The highway stretches more than 750 kilometres from Prince George to Prince Rupert.
Michalko, 58, said he's been in the Prince George area once this year and his efforts have resulted in calls from people who believe they have information about the cases.
Since his last visit, a Vancouver women's group volunteered anonymously to pay Michalko's expenses.
"I have the names of five people, I'd rather call them people of interest, rather than suspects because I think suspects is a little harsh," he said
"Two of them are names that I've been given as a result of phone calls I've received. They're sort of a long shot as far as their involvement is concerned," said Michalko. "There's three others that I think are more serious, according to what I've been told."
He said he has a list of up to seven people who may have information about the three people.
Among the missing or dead women along the highway since 1989 are Aielah Saric-Auger, 14, Tamara Chipman, 22, Lana Derrick, 19, Ramona Wilson, 15, Delphine Nikal, 15, Roxanna Thiara, 15, Aleisha Germaine, 15, Alberta Williams, 27, and Nicole Hoar, 25. Only Hoar, who has been missing for four years, is non-native.
Aboriginal groups and others in the north believe the number of missing people could be as high as 30.
An RCMP spokesman said they are aware of Michalko and expect a meeting in the future.
"We're going to sit down and talk to Ray just to make sure that the lines of communication are open," said RCMP Sgt. John Ward, who recalls serving with Michalko at the North Vancouver RCMP detachment.
"I don't see that this is going to be a problem," Ward said.
The Mounties have met privately with the families of the missing and murdered women since an emotional gathering in Prince George last March where aboriginals called for help solving the cases and preventing further tragedies.
"We have a review team that's collecting all the files that are connected to the so-called Highway of Tears," Ward said. "It will assist us to see if we've missed anything."
A member of a Prince George area aboriginal council said the Mounties appear to have increased their efforts to solve the Highway of Tears deaths since the symposium last March.
But much of that is likely a result of public pressure, said Coun. Rena Zatorski of the Lheidli T'enneh Nation.
"Damn rights it is," she said. "Of course it is. They were embarrassed. They still are embarrassed and they should be embarrassed."
The Highway of Tears is a small piece of a bigger problem that aboriginals face across Canada, she said. Aboriginal women's groups estimate there's more than 500 missing and murdered aboriginal people throughout Canada.
"Maybe it's going to take a private investigator to make more headway than the RCMP," Zatorski said.
© The Canadian Press 2006
Saturday, September 9
Horror film based on Pickton due out before trial
ROBERT MATAS
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
VANCOUVER — A graphic horror film that purports to be based on the real-life story of Robert Pickton is scheduled for release next month on DVD in Australia, weeks before jurors are selected in his trial for the murder of 26 women.
The 85-minute fictional thriller, made by German cult-film director Ulli Lommel, is called Killer Pickton.The movie, filmed with actors, tells a tale "that is so disturbing that even the mention of it is banned in Canada," its promotional material says.
With blatant disregard for the presumption of Mr. Pickton's innocence, the film, which will be released on Oct. 18, offers "a stomach-turning look" at the killing of as many as 125 Vancouver-based prostitutes and drug addicts over a 20-year period by a fictional character called Robert Pickton.
The fictional Mr. Pickton drugs women and feeds them into a wood chipper, mixing the victims' flesh with pork products that are sold to an unsuspecting public. "Pickton lured his victims with the promise of drugs. When he got them into his house, all bets were off in this wall-to-wall horror spectacle," the promotional material says.
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Some family members of women who have disappeared from Vancouver's skid row were distraught yesterday over the pending distribution of the film.
"That's horrible," Sandra Gagnon, the sister of Janet Henry who went missing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood, said yesterday in an interview.
"I find this unbelievable. It was hard enough for us families. I find this totally disgusting," she said. "I don't understand why people want to see movies like that."
But Mr. Pickton's lawyer Peter Ritchie indicated he was not overly concerned about the impact of the film on his client's trial. "I hope that anyone who may potentially be on the jury would stay away from that sort of thing," he said.
"Canadians are pretty sensible people," he said, adding that he anticipated those who might be on a jury would realize they should not go out of their way to watch the film.
So far, no plans have been unveiled to distribute the film in Canada.
As long as the film and any information obtained from the trial remain outside Canada, a court order restricting publication of evidence in the case until presented to the jury would have no impact.
The jurisdiction of the court in Canada ends at the border, Stan Lowe, a spokesman for the Crown prosecutor's office, said in an interview. The ban applies only in Canada, he said. "The issue is enforcement of the order," he added.
However, the RCMP is currently investigating whether the film violates Canadian law, an RCMP spokesman said later.
Mr. Pickton, 56, has been charged with the murder of 26 women. The court is currently reviewing evidence in order to decide whether the material is admissible before a jury. Selection of the jury is slated to begin on Dec. 11.
Mr. Lommel, 61, has played prominent roles in several Rainer Werner Fassbinder films and has directed numerous movies. One of his most recent was Green River Killer, which was about Seattle serial killer Gary Ridgway.
Mr. Lommel won the Euro Shocker award at the 2005 Fearless Tales festival in San Francisco, and starred and directed in the 1979 film Blank Generation, which included a cameo appearance by Andy Warhol.
The Shadow Factory, a Hollywood production company, announced plans last summer for a horror thriller based on the alleged exploits of Mr. Pickton. In the following months, more than 1,200 people signed an on-line petition urging a boycott of the movie if it was distributed in Canada.
"The film serves only to feed the prurient interests of misogynists while making violence against women a commodity," said the petition mounted by women from the Downtown Eastside.
"We feel the film is disrespectful to the memories of the murdered and missing women and their families. We are tired of the women being referred to as 'mostly drug addicted prostitutes,' as if killing them were not as heinous as killing other women. The film and publicity surrounding it show a total disregard for the humanity of the women."
Wayne Leng, who has been involved in the search for the missing women since his friend, Sarah DeVries, disappeared in 1998, said he exchanged e-mails with one of the actresses in the film.
She broke off the correspondence, saying she did not want to talk about the movie and jeopardize her career, Mr. Leng said in an interview.
Families of the missing women are upset with the film, Mr. Leng said.
"But nothing is going to stop it. This guy [Mr. Lommel] has done lots of thrillers. There is a market for it and there is money to be made," Mr. Leng said. "As horrible as it is, though, people do not have to watch it."
© Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
From Thursday's Globe and Mail
VANCOUVER — A graphic horror film that purports to be based on the real-life story of Robert Pickton is scheduled for release next month on DVD in Australia, weeks before jurors are selected in his trial for the murder of 26 women.
The 85-minute fictional thriller, made by German cult-film director Ulli Lommel, is called Killer Pickton.The movie, filmed with actors, tells a tale "that is so disturbing that even the mention of it is banned in Canada," its promotional material says.
With blatant disregard for the presumption of Mr. Pickton's innocence, the film, which will be released on Oct. 18, offers "a stomach-turning look" at the killing of as many as 125 Vancouver-based prostitutes and drug addicts over a 20-year period by a fictional character called Robert Pickton.
The fictional Mr. Pickton drugs women and feeds them into a wood chipper, mixing the victims' flesh with pork products that are sold to an unsuspecting public. "Pickton lured his victims with the promise of drugs. When he got them into his house, all bets were off in this wall-to-wall horror spectacle," the promotional material says.
Related to this article
Latest Comments
• Start a conversation on this story
Some family members of women who have disappeared from Vancouver's skid row were distraught yesterday over the pending distribution of the film.
"That's horrible," Sandra Gagnon, the sister of Janet Henry who went missing from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood, said yesterday in an interview.
"I find this unbelievable. It was hard enough for us families. I find this totally disgusting," she said. "I don't understand why people want to see movies like that."
But Mr. Pickton's lawyer Peter Ritchie indicated he was not overly concerned about the impact of the film on his client's trial. "I hope that anyone who may potentially be on the jury would stay away from that sort of thing," he said.
"Canadians are pretty sensible people," he said, adding that he anticipated those who might be on a jury would realize they should not go out of their way to watch the film.
So far, no plans have been unveiled to distribute the film in Canada.
As long as the film and any information obtained from the trial remain outside Canada, a court order restricting publication of evidence in the case until presented to the jury would have no impact.
The jurisdiction of the court in Canada ends at the border, Stan Lowe, a spokesman for the Crown prosecutor's office, said in an interview. The ban applies only in Canada, he said. "The issue is enforcement of the order," he added.
However, the RCMP is currently investigating whether the film violates Canadian law, an RCMP spokesman said later.
Mr. Pickton, 56, has been charged with the murder of 26 women. The court is currently reviewing evidence in order to decide whether the material is admissible before a jury. Selection of the jury is slated to begin on Dec. 11.
Mr. Lommel, 61, has played prominent roles in several Rainer Werner Fassbinder films and has directed numerous movies. One of his most recent was Green River Killer, which was about Seattle serial killer Gary Ridgway.
Mr. Lommel won the Euro Shocker award at the 2005 Fearless Tales festival in San Francisco, and starred and directed in the 1979 film Blank Generation, which included a cameo appearance by Andy Warhol.
The Shadow Factory, a Hollywood production company, announced plans last summer for a horror thriller based on the alleged exploits of Mr. Pickton. In the following months, more than 1,200 people signed an on-line petition urging a boycott of the movie if it was distributed in Canada.
"The film serves only to feed the prurient interests of misogynists while making violence against women a commodity," said the petition mounted by women from the Downtown Eastside.
"We feel the film is disrespectful to the memories of the murdered and missing women and their families. We are tired of the women being referred to as 'mostly drug addicted prostitutes,' as if killing them were not as heinous as killing other women. The film and publicity surrounding it show a total disregard for the humanity of the women."
Wayne Leng, who has been involved in the search for the missing women since his friend, Sarah DeVries, disappeared in 1998, said he exchanged e-mails with one of the actresses in the film.
She broke off the correspondence, saying she did not want to talk about the movie and jeopardize her career, Mr. Leng said in an interview.
Families of the missing women are upset with the film, Mr. Leng said.
"But nothing is going to stop it. This guy [Mr. Lommel] has done lots of thrillers. There is a market for it and there is money to be made," Mr. Leng said. "As horrible as it is, though, people do not have to watch it."
© Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Two-part Pickton trial draws fire from family
ROBERT MATAS
Globe and Mail
Sept 9, 2006
VANCOUVER -- Cynthia Feliks was not among the alleged victims of Robert Pickton when charges of first-degree murder were laid against the Port Coquitlam farmer in 2002. Her name was added to the list three years later, on May 25, 2005.
But now, Ms. Feliks has once again been left out.
Crown prosecutor Michael Petrie told the court yesterday that Mr. Pickton will face murder charges this winter for allegedly killing six women. A trial on charges of murder of 20 more women will be put over for later.
Ms. Feliks's name was not among the six. Her stepmother, Marilyn Kraft, felt betrayed by the announcement.
"They will go ahead with six, and all the other families will be left with nothing," Ms. Kraft said yesterday in an interview from Calgary. "They will not have another trial. This is it."
Ms. Kraft has been fighting authorities for nine years over the disappearance of her stepdaughter, who was last seen on Nov. 26, 1997. She said she sat through court hearings in 2003 to hear the evidence against Mr. Pickton and is aware of what prosecutors believe happened to her stepdaughter.
She is extremely upset that Ms. Feliks's alleged murder would not be before the court this winter.
"It took years to get the charges laid. Finally they laid the charges and now, what do they do?" she said.
The charges were split into two groups because a trial on 26 charges would have been too hard for the jury, she said, referring to a recent court ruling.
"But what about the families? This is so hard on the families," Ms. Kraft said. "I'm so tired of fighting. There is no justice for these women."
The decision to proceed with only six charges of murder follows a court ruling in August that split the charges into a group of six and a group of 20, based on the evidence. The prosecution had the option of which group would proceed first.
Mr. Petrie said the prosecution would go ahead with charges related to the alleged murder of Mona Wilson, Sereena Abotsway, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Wolfe, Georgina Papin and Marnie Frey.
Stan Lowe, a spokesman for the prosecution team in the Pickton trial, told reporters the prosecution is focusing its attention exclusively on the trial of six counts of first-degree murder.
"Once that matter is completed before the courts, [the prosecution] will shift its focus to the remaining trial," he said.
He added that it's important to remember that all the counts remain before the courts.
Mr. Lowe also said the strength of the prosecution's case remains unaffected by limiting the trial to six murder charges.
"It's not a matter of strength at all. It's just a matter of the Crown adjusting its prosecution."
The prosecutors had to make adjustments in their strategy after taking into account a court decision that found that proceeding on all the charges of murder would be unmanageable for a jury, he said.
"Our role as Crown counsel is to respond professionally to the ruling," Mr. Lowe said. "Once the ruling was made, it was a matter at that point of adjusting to the ruling and making the most prudent decision, knowing all the circumstances."
Defence lawyer Peter Ritchie told reporters the decision to go ahead with six charges and delay 20 doees not reflect anything about the case. "[Mr. Pickton] is presumed innocent, according to our law, and that is the presumption that everyone acts under in our country," Mr. Ritchie said.
Asked whether he thinks a trial on 20 charges would ever proceed, Mr. Ritchie said, "That's speculation I prefer not to engage in at this stage."
The court is expected to continue reviewing the admissibility of evidence during the fall. Jury selection is slated to begin Dec. 11 and the trial is to begin on Jan. 8.
© Copyright 2006 Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Globe and Mail
Sept 9, 2006
VANCOUVER -- Cynthia Feliks was not among the alleged victims of Robert Pickton when charges of first-degree murder were laid against the Port Coquitlam farmer in 2002. Her name was added to the list three years later, on May 25, 2005.
But now, Ms. Feliks has once again been left out.
Crown prosecutor Michael Petrie told the court yesterday that Mr. Pickton will face murder charges this winter for allegedly killing six women. A trial on charges of murder of 20 more women will be put over for later.
Ms. Feliks's name was not among the six. Her stepmother, Marilyn Kraft, felt betrayed by the announcement.
"They will go ahead with six, and all the other families will be left with nothing," Ms. Kraft said yesterday in an interview from Calgary. "They will not have another trial. This is it."
Ms. Kraft has been fighting authorities for nine years over the disappearance of her stepdaughter, who was last seen on Nov. 26, 1997. She said she sat through court hearings in 2003 to hear the evidence against Mr. Pickton and is aware of what prosecutors believe happened to her stepdaughter.
She is extremely upset that Ms. Feliks's alleged murder would not be before the court this winter.
"It took years to get the charges laid. Finally they laid the charges and now, what do they do?" she said.
The charges were split into two groups because a trial on 26 charges would have been too hard for the jury, she said, referring to a recent court ruling.
"But what about the families? This is so hard on the families," Ms. Kraft said. "I'm so tired of fighting. There is no justice for these women."
The decision to proceed with only six charges of murder follows a court ruling in August that split the charges into a group of six and a group of 20, based on the evidence. The prosecution had the option of which group would proceed first.
Mr. Petrie said the prosecution would go ahead with charges related to the alleged murder of Mona Wilson, Sereena Abotsway, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Wolfe, Georgina Papin and Marnie Frey.
Stan Lowe, a spokesman for the prosecution team in the Pickton trial, told reporters the prosecution is focusing its attention exclusively on the trial of six counts of first-degree murder.
"Once that matter is completed before the courts, [the prosecution] will shift its focus to the remaining trial," he said.
He added that it's important to remember that all the counts remain before the courts.
Mr. Lowe also said the strength of the prosecution's case remains unaffected by limiting the trial to six murder charges.
"It's not a matter of strength at all. It's just a matter of the Crown adjusting its prosecution."
The prosecutors had to make adjustments in their strategy after taking into account a court decision that found that proceeding on all the charges of murder would be unmanageable for a jury, he said.
"Our role as Crown counsel is to respond professionally to the ruling," Mr. Lowe said. "Once the ruling was made, it was a matter at that point of adjusting to the ruling and making the most prudent decision, knowing all the circumstances."
Defence lawyer Peter Ritchie told reporters the decision to go ahead with six charges and delay 20 doees not reflect anything about the case. "[Mr. Pickton] is presumed innocent, according to our law, and that is the presumption that everyone acts under in our country," Mr. Ritchie said.
Asked whether he thinks a trial on 20 charges would ever proceed, Mr. Ritchie said, "That's speculation I prefer not to engage in at this stage."
The court is expected to continue reviewing the admissibility of evidence during the fall. Jury selection is slated to begin Dec. 11 and the trial is to begin on Jan. 8.
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